| Ship's Diary |
| During her time at sea, HMS Endurance will be sending back regular diaries to keep us all up to date with what is happening on this deployment. Use the links below to read extracts from the diary. |
| Summer Highlights |
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Since returning from the Multi Beam Echo Sounder trials in mid July our time has been spent in many overlapping areas. As we find ourselves bouncing through the Bay of Biscay I thought it might be of interest to update visitors on what has been going on over the summer period. While taking the opportunity for some rest and relaxation with our families the Ship’s Company, with the assistance of various supporting agencies have got the ship prepared for the 2005-06 deployment.
Notably the ship had to be dry docked for some repairs. Among these the rudder seals had to be repaired, and jammed sonar removed and replaced. Here are some pictures from unusual angles of the ship:
Other work achieved during the summer maintenance period included the replacement of the galley deck. Imagine how disruptive to remove all of the kitchen equipment, then dig up the floor, repair the leaking pipe work then re-lay the floor and reinstall all the kitchen equipment. The Ship’s Company all had to move ashore into barracks, unless they lived locally as obviously they could not be fed onboard. Extensive work was conducted in the Communications Office, in particular to upgrade our satellite communications. One benefit has been the fitting of satellite TV, which allows us to keep up to date with the news from home. In common with the galley staff the Communicators have had to restore all of their equipment. The Engine Room has also received the benefit of lots of expert attention, including a comprehensive overhaul of the funnel. The entire engineering department worked tirelessly to prepare the ship for sea, and we are now in fine fettle for the deployment. In between all of the maintenance we have also benefited from the attention and advice of Flag Officer Sea Training’s staff. During September we spent 2 weeks in the Plymouth area conducting various training scenarios alongside and at sea. These included simulated galley fires, machinery space fires, machinery breakdowns, aircraft emergencies, casualties and rendering assistance to stranded vessels. With staff attending to assess all areas of the ship’s activities we were assessed as safe to proceed on deployment, which is reassuring as while away we need to respond correctly to any incidents onboard as we cannot call on anyone else to assist!
On Monday 31 October we sailed at 1000 from Portsmouth, after a lively passage west through the English Channel we are now nearing the completion of the roller coaster ride through the Bay of Biscay and are looking forward to some calmer conditions to further prepare for the exciting tasks we have ahead of us. |
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